INTRODUCTION As a Y Water is one of the reasons that life on Earth as is possible Rivers and lakes are important sources of water These freshwater biomes A are home to many different animals and plants We also rely on rivers for fresh drinking water and water to help crops grow A bald eagle plucks a salmon from Chilkat Lake
B iomes are places where plants or animals live and grow Some animals and plants live in grasslands or dry deserts Some live in on or beside rivers and lakes Rivers are channels of fresh water that wind across the land Most begin high up in hills and mountains and flow down to the sea Lakes and ponds are pools of water that fill hollow basins in the land Some stretches of water such as giant inland seas contain salty water Read on to find out what rivers and lakes are like and how plants animals and people live in on and around them HIGH POINT Snake River Idaho starts life as tiny mountain streams As water flows down the slopes the streams join to form the giant winding
E WORLD RIVERS AND Rivers and lakes are found all over the world This map shows some of the major rivers and S S o ne lakes lakes to to be found on the the world world's s continents S M EDT ORTH AMERIC The city of Chicago Illinois is built on the shores of Lake Michigan SOUT AMERICA The city of London in England is built along the banks of the River Thames Jil The Amazon River flows through the Amazon rain forest in South America It is 4 000 miles 6 400 kilometers long ANTARCTICA I
LAKES RIVERS AND LAKES Lake Baikal in Russia contains 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water ASIA RO EUROPE AFRICA E I AUSTRALIA A paddle steamer cruises along the Murray River in southern Australia A rainbow forms as water from the Zambezi River on the border A between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa spills over Victoria
